


A Town Called Eureka

by Vipersweb (Rhianona)



Category: Doctor Who (2005), Eureka
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-06-09
Updated: 2008-06-09
Packaged: 2017-10-10 12:46:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/99936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhianona/pseuds/Vipersweb
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The TARDIS lands in Eureka; Donna and Ten enjoy breakfast; the Doctor helps to save the world and Donna gives Jack relationship advice.<br/>Spoilers: Through The Doctor's Daughter. Season 1 of Eureka</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Town Called Eureka

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Gypsylady](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gypsylady/gifts).



> Disclaimer: [Insert witty comment here] Eureka &amp; Dr. Who do not belong to me
> 
> For gypsylady who wanted the TARDIS landing in Eureka, with either Donna or Martha. I went with Donna.
> 
> Set after season 1 of Eureka

"You have got to be kidding me! We can travel through all of time and space and you've brought me to this, this - whatever this is!" Donna asks, flinging out her hand and gesturing towards the town before her.

It's not that she expects strange new worlds and everything - no scratch that - she does. And honestly; she was sure this was a really _interesting_ place to visit but really. Eureka? It just seemed a bit of a let down. Okay. It looked a bit… different. But then the Yanks were a strange bunch and wouldn't know how to settle a proper town if it came with instructions. She places her hands on her hips and glares at the Doctor. "Come on then. Why are we here?"

"Only the best food to be found in the world!" the Doctor says with no small amount of enthusiasm. "You'll love it. Vincent always knows exactly what to serve you." And with that, he grabs Donna by the hand and drags her down the street to a large café - Café Diem as it identifies itself. Donna shrugs and allows herself to be dragged along. She supposes it makes sense for the Doctor to want some peace what with that whole mess with the Sontarans and then the bit with his daughter. He hasn't been the same since she died in his arms and even though she had to force him to acknowledge the poor girl, she thinks she wouldn't have had she known the end result. She can indulge him in his apparent desire for some good food; grab a bite and then off to a new place for fun and adventure. Maybe he'll stop moping.

Later, she reflects, she should have known nothing is ever that simple with the Doctor. Oh they had their breakfast - and it truly was magnificent. (She wonders whether the Doctor has ever considered simply kidnapping Vincent and bringing him along to cook meals.) And then trouble starts.

Eureka it turns out, is a town of certified geniuses, most of whom worked for Global Dynamics in a variety of capacities. Even the kids were smart and prone to dangerous experiments. They also - apparently - had daily explosions - "But they really aren't that dangerous. There's a siren that goes off it it's really dangerous," Vincent hastens to explain to her when she nearly jumps out of her chair during that day's one.

So anyway, after they finish a truly delightful breakfast - ("You need to eat more skinny boy. Else you're going to start slipping through the cracks!" she tells the Doctor as she encourages Vincent to start piling the Time Lord's plate high with food. "Bananas," she tells Vincent, when he pauses. "For some reason Martian boy over here likes bananas." Vincent smiles even as he hands over a big banana milkshake, which should satisfy even the Doctor's cravings.) - some strange woman comes to the table and asks for the Doctor's help.

"Doctor, my name is Alison Blake. I'm in Global Dynamics. We have a bit of a situation and wondered if you could help us," she says by way of introduction.

"How come everyone seems to know you?" Donna demands as they brought through security to D. "Excuse me!" she snaps at the guard who looks like he wants to keep her from following the Doctor. "I go with him. Do you know the trouble he'll get into if I'm not there?" She sniffs as she sweeps after the Doctor and this Alison Blake woman. She doesn't quite trust her or this place - and it's _not_ just because it's in America and she's already heard more explosions in the couple of hours she's been here than during the whole of the Sontarran incident.

Which is how she finds herself in a room full of eggheads, babbling ten different ways to Sunday as they scramble to undo whatever disaster they started. She has no idea what they are saying, just that if whatever is going on isn't stopped, Eureka is apt to blow sky-high. The Doctor is in the thick of things, glasses perched on his nose (and she'll _never_ admit how adorable he like this. Never. Not even under severe torture.), hair flying every which way as he jumps from console to console. Blake looks on calmly as a young man who couldn't look more like a nerd if he tried, frantically types at the computer whilst a tall bearded man in a suit argues with a black man in a boilersuit. She snorts. ("What the _hell_ is he doing Alison!" Suit demands as Blake attempts to placate him. "Nathan! He came highly recommended and he has a better chance of stopping this than any of us." "But Alison! Who is he?" "Oh me? I'm the Doctor." "Doctor who?" "Just the Doctor," he replies, aiming his sonic screwdriver as a circuit board. "Ooo. This is impressive. You humans. Always reaching ahead of yourselves," he mutters, ignoring the looks exchanged by the others.)

And then there is the sheriff, leaning against the wall and trying to stay away from it all while alternatively staring at the Blake woman with hungry eyes and glaring at the Suit. The dynamics in the room are clearly broadcast, even at the height of an emergency. She sidles closer to him, figuring he's the only one she's likely to understand without a translator. "Is this normal?" she asks.

"What?" he asks, brow furrowed in confusion as he stares at her.

"This," Donna says impatiently, waiving her hand at the chaos that surrounds them.

"Oh. Yeah. You have _no_ idea," he says in a tone of voice that tells her more than words can of the truth in his statement. "You came with the Doctor?" he asks.   
Donna bites back the acerbic response on the tip of her tongue and instead smiles as she offers a hand in greeting. Honestly. What was it about crises that seemed to dumb down people and have them state the obvious? "Donna Noble."

"Jack Carter. I'm the sheriff, if you couldn't tell," he returns, self-deprecating as he points to his uniform. Donna takes a moment to appreciate him - she's always liked a man in uniform and she hadn't enough time to appreciate (ogle) the UNIT soldiers during the whole ATMOS incident. At least not properly.

"How likely is the world going to end?" she finally asks, bored. She's pretty sure the danger will be averted because the Doctor hasn't made noises about her heading to the TARDIS and waiting this out. When he does that, she knows she has to worry. Until then, she's happy to watch the chaos that surrounds her.

"Why? You don't think we're going to die or something, right?" Carter asks, hand touching her shoulder in concern.

"No, no," Donna is quick to say. "Just wondering how long we had until it did. Frankly, I could do with a cuppa."

"Oh, um…" he pauses. Clearly, he has no idea how soothing a cup of tea can be during the midst of the crisis. Clearly, he hasn't travelled with the Doctor.

"Kitchen? Break room? Come on. Chop, chop. There must be someplace here we can make a cup of tea."

"Um, I think there's a break room down the hall."

Good," Donna says. "You can help me." She turns to the Doctor who is still moving about and ignoring the arguing between the others. "Oi! Doctor. Fancy a cuppa?"

Silence falls in the room as the Doctor looks up and blinks at Donna in a distracted manner. "Yes, yes, sounds good. Busy now." And he turns back to the console at which he's currently aiming his sonic screwdriver. Donna just sighs as she trudges to the door, holding it open and look at Carter with an exasperated look as he just stands there. "You coming? I'm sure they'll start screaming if they really need our help."

Carter nods and moves slowly to the door while looking at Blake and boilersuit guy with eyes pleading for help. He's ignored and sighs as he follows Donna out of the room.

Donna moves around the break room as if it is hers, opening cupboards and fiddling with the tea bags she finds while waiting for the water to heat. Jack watches her warily, wondering just why Alison had leapt at the chance to gain the Doctor's help. "So, you've been with the Doctor long?" he asks, as casually as he can manage.

"Few months now. Damned difficult time trying to track down the Martian, but I managed in the end. Figured if I managed to get involved in enough wonky things he would show and he did."  
Jack decides to ignore the Martian comment. "So this type of thing is normal then? Coming in, saving the day type stuff?"

"Hmm," Donna replies as she carefully strains the tea bag and adds sugar and milk to the mugs. "I don't think he knows how to stay out of trouble. Still. Wouldn't trade it for the world."

"So life-and-death situations are normal for you?" Jack is a bit surprised by how calm she is.

"Oh it's not always life-and-death. I get to see some of the most amazing things whilst traveling with him. It's better than those tours you take to far off and exotic places. All the exploring and adventure!" She grins at him widely, handing him a mug of tea.

"Um what?" Jack asks, confused as he looks at the cup of tea in his hand. He notices a third cup sitting on the counter and wonders why the English seemed to think tea was a panacea for all ills.

"Drink up. You look like you need it."

"But I thought this was for the Doctor?"

"He can wait. You look like you needed to get away from that room."

"But. No." Jack feels helpless in a way that he hasn't in a long time.

"Oh please. The way you look at that woman - Blake? Alison's her name, right?"

"What do you mean the way I look at her?" Jack asks. _Fuck._ He doesn't _need_ this. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."

Donna snorts. "Right. Of course you don't. That's why you're staring all lovey dovey at Alison and glaring at the suit. Because nothing is going on."

Jack doesn't know how to tell her about the four years he lived but no one else remembers because he had to stop Henry from saving Kim. How he walk up one morning with Alison in his arms, his child growing in her belly and the next they were nothing more than colleagues and friends. "It's… complicated," he finally settles on saying.

"Isn't it always?" she responds. "Take me. My fiance offered me up as a sacrifice to this really big spider! On our wedding day no less! The Doctor saved me then." She sips from her mug and Jack finds himself copying her action. Surprisingly, just the taste of the tea is enough to calm him, help him center his thoughts. Though he does wonder how a giant spider fits into all this.

"Alison made her choice," and he can't help the bitterness that infuses his tone. "She and Stark were once married. Then they got divorced. And he went away before he came back. And well. She's giving him another shot." And he can't help but remember how in the old time line, Stark went California to teach, running from Eureka and Alison and Kevin. How he had so carefully wooed Alison, even asking Zoe and Jo for advice. Their wedding - perfect - and then, the news she was pregnant. All gone now. He smiles weakly.

"I suppose you didn't fight for her. Just let Mr. Suit come wandering back into her life, and letting him sweep her off her feet."

"Yes. Wait… what?" Jack asks her confused.

Donna sighs. Really. Men were so clueless! And she knew it wasn't just limited to the human variety. Look at the Doctor. He was a prime example of clueless male. And it looked like the sheriff was another one. Pity. He was rather good looking. "You like her. A lot if your googly eyes tell me anything. So. Ask her out. _Show_ her there is another option beyond Mr. Suit. Worse she'll say is no, but then you won't have to wonder about what ifs." She watches as the Sheriff processes what she tells him and wonders if it is particular to Americans to be so slow. "Let's go then. Got to get the Doctor his tea."

"But. Really? You think?" Jack asks, wondering if it is as simple as that. Ask Alison out and if she says no, well maybe then his dreams and memories would disappear. At the least he would know.

Donna rolls her eyes. "You won't know until you ask."

"Alright. Okay. Uh. Yeah. So tea?" Jack asks as he gestures to the door. Donna nods while balancing the mugs and heading back to the room where the Doctor and the Suit and the Boilersuit (and what was _up_ with that?) and Blake and the Nerd were all waiting. She smirks as she enters the room; the Doctor is still scrambling around, albeit at a calmer pace than before whilst Boilersuit and Suit have stopped their bickering and are working… on something. Donna is certain it's extremely important.

"Oi! Doctor. Here's your tea," she says, thrusting the mug at the Doctor as he takes a pause to fiddle with this sonic screwdriver.

"What? Oh thanks Donna. Was wondering where you were." He gulps the tea down before handing back to her the mug. "Let's see. Setting 456R and a twist here and there and voila! Yes that should do it!" He turns to the Nerd. "You type in the password. You should have access now." The Nerd looks at the Doctor as if he's crazy but, at the glare from Blake, follows through.

He hits enter and the alarm rings off. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief. "There you go then. All safe and sound," the Doctor says cheerily. "Well then. I think Donna and I will be off now." And he offers his arm to her as he sedately (for him) exits the room. Donna has to bit back the laughter at the looks on everyone's faces.

"So the world's not in imminent danger of exploding?" she asks.

"Oh no. Not today. Still time for it I suppose."

"Perish the thought Doctor. Though… I am a bit peckish. Shall we return to the café? I'm sure Vincent can whip us up something delicious to eat."

"Hmm. I suppose so. I _am_ in the mood for one of his banana milkshakes."

Donna snorts. "When aren't you? Your obsession with bananas is quite scary you know."

The Doctor smiles at her as he drags her through the exit of Global Dynamics, ignoring the looks of the guards. "Let's go then. Time's a wasting."

Donna grins. Maybe Eureka isn't that bad after all. At least the Doctor seems in a better mood than he was when they arrived. "Are you sure we can't take Vincent with us?" she asks.

"No Donna. Already asked him. He doesn't want to leave. Says that my adventures would completely turn him off his cooking. Don't understand that. Still, it does give us an excuse to return, doesn't it?" And he grins at Donna and she knows that he's going to be alright.


End file.
